A transfer roller assembly for a printer two compact motorized transfer rollers disposed on opposite sides of a paper path. Each roller has a cylindrical body having two ends, an outer surface and an interior space, wherein each of said ends is supported by low friction bearings carried by a pair of cooperating end caps, and a first end carries an internal gear. A motor is located in the interior space which drives the internal gear for rotating the outer surface and advancing print media. The outer surface is adapted to carry ink and make a printing impression on the print media.